Is New Jersey a ‘Larger Opportunity’ Than Nevada?

Is the New Jersey online poker market a better deal for big operators than Nevada? That’s what Boyd Gaming CEO Keith Smith suggested in a recent interview with EGR Magazine.

Boyd pointed to Nevada’s relatively small population (less than 3 million) as one of the biggest challenges for online operators:

Clearly given the population in New Jersey, it’s a much larger state and therefore much larger opportunity…We’re assessing what makes sense to do and how it makes sense to roll out, so we don’t have as clear a direction in Nevada today, because of the different opportunities and the fact that they are smaller given the population of the state.

New Jersey definitely has the edge over Nevada when it comes to potential players. With more than 8 million residents, the Garden State is the nation’s 11th most populated state. Nevada ranks 31st by population.

While no one in Nevada is hitting the panic button just yet, officials have already taken steps to help increase the state’s player pool. Last month the Nevada State Legislature rushed approved an emergency measure allowing Governor Brian Sandoval to negotiate interstate gambling compacts, something NJ has been planning all along.

Clearly, the battle for US online poker supremacy is starting to heat up.

Which state do you think will offer up a better online poker market for affiliates? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

New Jersey definitely has more upside potential because of it’s location in the population center of the US. It’s why Indian tribes near populated areas are richer than isolated areas. With interstate gaming pacts it has much bigger potential, even when compared to Nevada & California.

Indian gaming is definitely an x-factor in the US market. After all, those isolated tribes could emerge as real contenders in the online market. As for Nevada/New Jersey…I wonder whether those other eastern states will be interested in interstate deals with NJ or anybody else.